Ephesians 6:13

“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, &c.] This is a repetition of the exhortation in (<490611>Ephesians 6:11); which repetition seems necessary by reason of the many powerful enemies mentioned in the preceding verse, and serves to explain what is meant by putting it on: and leads on the apostle to give an account of the several parts of this armour: the end of taking it is much the same as before, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day; that is, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles and stratagems of Satan, against his power and might, to oppose his schemes, and resist his temptations: and so the Syriac version renders it, “that ye may be able to meet the evil…”

“take . . . of God--not "make," God has done that: you have only to "take up" and put it on. The Ephesians were familiar with the idea of the gods giving armor to mythical heroes: thus Paul's allusion would be appropriate. the evil day--the day of Satan's special assaults (Eph 6:12, Eph 6:16) in life and at the dying hour (compare Rev 3:10). We must have our armor always on, to be ready against the evil day which may come at any moment, the war being perpetual (Psa 41:1, Margin). done all--rather, "accomplished all things," namely, necessary to the fight, and becoming a good soldier.”

“In the evil day - The day of temptation; the day when you are violently assaulted. And having done all, to stand - Margin, “or overcome.” The Greek word means, to work out, effect, or produce; and then to work up, to make an end of, to vanquish. Robinson, Lexicon. The idea seems to be, that they were to overcome or vanquish all their foes, and thus to stand firm. The whole language here is taken from war; and the idea is, that every foe was to be subdued - no matter how numerous or formidable they might be. Safety and triumph could be looked for only when every enemy was slain. return to 'Top of Page'”

“In the evil day - The war is perpetual; but the fight is one day less, another more, violent. The evil day is either at the approach of death, or in life; may be longer or shorter and admits of numberless varieties. And having done all, to stand - That ye may still keep on your armour, still stand upon your guard, still watch and pray; and thus ye will be enabled to endure unto the end, and stand with joy before the face of the Son of Man. Ephesians 6:14”

“6:13 God’s armor gives believers the ability to resist the attacks of the devil in the time of evil—when evil seems to prevail—and to keep standing firm.”

“take: Eph 6:11-17; Co2 10:4 the whole: Πανοπλια \[Strong's G3833\], a complete suit of armour, both offensive and defensive, from παν, all, and οπλον \[Strong's G3696\], armour. in the: Eph 5:6, Eph 5:16; Ecc 12:1; Amo 6:3; Luk 8:13; Rev 3:10 done all: or, overcome all to stand: Mal 3:2; Luk 21:36; Col 4:12; Rev 6:17 Ephesians 6:14”